The course web site is available on the Virginia Tech Scholar server at http://www.scholar.vt.edu/ on the first day of classes. Once you log on using your Virginia Tech PID and password, select CS 6724 (Fall 2012) tab. The tab is present only if you are registered for the course. This page contains overall information about the course, as follows:
This course provides an introduction to distributed virtual environments (DVEs) and focuses on current research topics in DVEs. DVEs allow multiple users to interact in real-time even though those users may be located around the world. These environments usually aim to provide a sense of realism and an immersive experience by incorporating realistic 3D graphics and stereo sound. DVEs are used for military and industrial team training, collaborative design and engineering, and multiplayer games.
Papers from the current literature or research monographs will be used. Student participation in a seminar style format is expected. Several online virtual worlds (e.g., Second Life) and game engines (e.g., Torque) will be discussed and used in class. The topics include:
Projects can be done individually or in a group, and based on specific student interests may focus on theoretical concepts, human-computer interaction issues, or system design issues. One of the project deliverables is a report written in a conference paper format that could be submitted as a full/short paper or a poster to Eurovis 2013 or ACM SIGGRAPH 2013 conferences.
Prerequisites: While no specific prerequisites are required, students are expected to have a background corresponding to their choice of the project topic.
Denis Gracanin
Associate Professor
Department of Computer Science
Virginia Tech
2202 Kraft Drive, Room 1135
Blacksburg, VA 24060
Phone: (540) 231-2060
Email: gracanin@vt.edu
Office Hours:By Appointment
There is no course textbook, a reading list is provided. The list includes papers from the current literature.
Other materials: